Hi there all who read this!
Special thank you to the guest who called themselves 'Ensigns' for your lovely comment, you already know it means a lot to me :))
Well, in this chapter things start taking off. I have actually zero knowledge on the history of the witch trials of the 15th century, only that they happened and no one was actually burned at the stake. But, since this planet is not actually Earth in the 15th century, I can mix it up however I like (oh, the beauty of fiction)
EnJOy yOURselveS PlS I puT effoRT inTo thiS
Captain's Log, Stardate 3256.6
We are orbiting a planet which is inhabited with a race similar to human beings, but seem to not have developed for quite some time. I do not know exactly what time period they are apparently stuck in, but we will soon find out. I plan to give Lieutenant Nalien Chahine her first away mission today, so she shall accompany myself, Doctor McCoy and Mister Spock.
'Welcome to the Bridge, Lieutenant,' Kirk greeted warmly and enthusiastically as Nalien stepped out of the Turbolift onto the Bridge for the first time since she officially became a Bridge Officer.
'Thank you, Sir.' Kirk watched as she walked quickly and quietly to her station. She knew it was hers because she had had to operate it before, when a space disease had wrecked the crew he had on it.
'Captain. We are now in standard orbit above the planet's surface.' Chekov reported, turning back triumphantly.
'Excellent. Mister Spock, Lieutenant Chahine, accompany me to the transporter room,' Kirk said, and he watched as Nalien's head snapped up. He smiled slightly before tapping the comm on his chair. 'Bridge to Doctor McCoy, report to the transporter room immediately.'
'Acknowledged.' Came the gruff, and admittedly agitated, reply.
The ride in the lift seemed to be buzzing with the nervous energy radiating from Ali. She was skittish, it was plain to see. It was, after all, her first away mission. Every time Kirk caught Spock's eye his eyebrow was raised, and Kirk had to stop himself smiling.
Bones reached them in the transporter room with a frown like Kirk had never seen. They all just stared at him for a while, until Ali burst into a fit of giggles that she tried to hide with her hand.
'She's guessed it.' Bones grumbled.
'Guessed what?'
'That bloody boyfriend of hers. He refuses to obey my requests to rest, he goes on and on about how pointless it is!'
'You love him really.' Ali grinned, showing off a set of pristine, white teeth.
'Only 'cause he can beat this one,' he indicated to Spock with his head, 'in a battle of intelligence.'
'For your information, Lieutenant Holmes and I have never engaged in a fight of any kind, especially one of intelligence.' Spock muttered, and Kirk could sense the defense in his voice.
He lead the way onto the transporter platform, and nodded at Scotty as the rest of the team followed him. 'Energise.'
The planet that appeared around them looked hauntingly like Earth to Ali. It had the same blue sky, the same atmosphere, even the grass looked the same.
It apparently looked that way to the two humans on the team, since they both took a second to gaze at it wistfully.
Spock, however, was immediately scanning the scene with his Tricorder.
'This planet matches Earth in every way,' he reported, twisting a dial. 'The air and atmosphere is precisely the same, not a single particle different.'
'Somehow that strikes me as odd.' Bones said suspiciously. Ali nodded, all sense of her laughter disappearing. She ran her hand through her short hair thoughtfully, fiddling with the ends as she did so.
'Well, I think we should explore the area, see if there is anything wrong with the colony. I shouldn't think so, they're relatively peaceful but very old fashioned – so no exposing future inventions.' Kirk ordered.
Ali smiled to herself. 'We'll have no spoilers here.' she muttered.
They walked for quite some time, Spock analysing the environment, pointing out the similarities and rare differences the planet's atmosphere had with Earth's. Bones was quite clearly trying to block him out to make a point, but what Spock was saying was quite interesting, so he was failing drastically.
Eventually they reached a small village of wooden thatched houses. A small fire stood smouldering as the centre, surrounded by wooden sitting logs and a few large pots. People bustled around, and Ali was not surprised to see they were wearing long, beige or brown tunics with long sleeves.
Just as Kirk came to the mental decision that they should not interfere, they heard the crack of a stick being broken behind them. In the time of a split second, Nalien had turned to face the barrel of a double-barrel rifle.
The man held it confidently, a murderous glint in his eye. He had a pleasant face, covered by long, blond hair. He was clean shaven, and his clothes were pristine. 'What's up with your skin?' he asked aggressively.
Ali raised her hands in an innocent surrender, but her eyes were blazing. She did not answer.
The man asked again, shoving the barrel closer to the gap between her eyes. Upon being received with more silence, the man raised his voice. 'WITCH!'
The commotion that followed was devastating. The man raised his rifle and shot into the air to gain attention, and with his other hand he grabbed Ali by the scruff of her uniform and pulled her closer to him. He brought his hand down to aim at anyone who tried to come towards them to Ali's rescue.
Spock was the first to move, and the man's eyes shot up from the still hard eyes of Ali and the gun turned to him. It was then he noticed Spock's ears.
'You're not from around here, are you?' He spat in a relatively British-style accent.
'Uh,' Kirk began. 'No. We come from somewhere far, far away-'
'I don't care where you come from, it only matters that you aren't from around here.'
People had begun to surround them now, some gasping, others screaming. Some people were even laughing.
It was true that what was wrong with Ali's skin was different and certainly rare, and to a primitive race such as these it could even be classed as dangerous, like a disease that could spread, but humans had been living with it for centuries before now, and had come to embrace and even long for it. She had vitiligo, which caused large and frequent patches of her skin to lose it's pigment and become white which, in contrast with her strikingly dark skin, made her appearance very unique indeed. Her eyes were a stunning emerald green with small silver speckles adorning her iris. She was the most beautiful girl many people had ever met, with the exception of husbands.
'Witch!' people were agreeing with the man with the gun, and to the Enterprise crew, it was clear Nalien was getting tense. She had been thrust into the waiting arms of two equally attractive, muscly men, who were restraining her. Five more men came up behind the remaining crew and held them firmly in place.
They had officially been caught.
HIIII IT'S ME AGAIN
How was that? Do you like Ali? Is she... good enough to be classed as a Starfleet Officer?
Currently I am not very good at writing long chapters, so those who actually care, I'm sorry XD
Please do say if you dislike something, perhaps something is not to your taste but you like the story – if so tell me, and I can tweak it for you :)
Thank you for reading xx